Planning 4 nights S / SE of London for my parents in their late 60s
Dec 6th, 2013, 04:24 AM
#1
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Planning 4 nights S / SE of London for my parents in their late 60s
My parents are traveling with me, my husband and our 7 year old son to England and France in June. We are flying together from Miami to London where we will stay for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday). On Thursday we will then take a train from London to Leeds Castle for an overnight stay before heading to Dover to take a ferry to Calais, France, where we will continue the rest of our 3 week trip in France.
My parents are in their late 60s and are avid travelers. But they have been to London before and although they love the city, they would rather see other parts of England while we visit London for the first time. So where could they go while we are in London for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday)?
They don’t mind traveling from town to town but would rather not have to rent a car unless it is necessary. Maybe they could they take a train or a tour for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday)? Their preference would be to concentrate on the area South to South-East of London. Regardless, they will definitely meet us at Leeds Castle on Thursday for our overnight stay (which is situated between Maidstone and Ashford along the M20).
Would traveling by train around this area be a possibility or is it only feasible by car? Which towns should they visit and/or stay overnight? Sights? Are there any tour companies that focus on this area?
I’d like to plan this out for them so that they don’t go through too much trouble with this leg of the trip. I am open to any suggestions. Thank you!
My parents are in their late 60s and are avid travelers. But they have been to London before and although they love the city, they would rather see other parts of England while we visit London for the first time. So where could they go while we are in London for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday)?
They don’t mind traveling from town to town but would rather not have to rent a car unless it is necessary. Maybe they could they take a train or a tour for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday)? Their preference would be to concentrate on the area South to South-East of London. Regardless, they will definitely meet us at Leeds Castle on Thursday for our overnight stay (which is situated between Maidstone and Ashford along the M20).
Would traveling by train around this area be a possibility or is it only feasible by car? Which towns should they visit and/or stay overnight? Sights? Are there any tour companies that focus on this area?
I’d like to plan this out for them so that they don’t go through too much trouble with this leg of the trip. I am open to any suggestions. Thank you!
Dec 6th, 2013, 05:03 AM
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I would go to www.nationalrail.co.uk and see what towns are on the train lines from London and connect up to ashford or Maidstone. I'll have a look as well...
Dec 6th, 2013, 05:08 AM
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Here is a map of the stations on the lines:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...orkmapZoom.pdf
For example they could travel to Tunbridge Wells which is a lovely spa town. Then they could move to Rye, stopping in Battle to visit the site of the Battle of Hastings (there is a great visitor centre and you can walk on the battle grounds). From there continue onto Rye, which is a lovely town. Then its an easy connection to Ashford.
Hope this helps!
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...orkmapZoom.pdf
For example they could travel to Tunbridge Wells which is a lovely spa town. Then they could move to Rye, stopping in Battle to visit the site of the Battle of Hastings (there is a great visitor centre and you can walk on the battle grounds). From there continue onto Rye, which is a lovely town. Then its an easy connection to Ashford.
Hope this helps!
Dec 6th, 2013, 05:11 AM
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There are some photos of Rye in this set, about a quarter of the way down (they are labelled)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7637219655175/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7637219655175/
Dec 6th, 2013, 05:16 AM
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Dec 6th, 2013, 05:17 AM
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And Royal Tunbridge Wells
http://www.visittunbridgewells.com
And Rye and environs
http://www.visit1066country.com/expl...e-camber-sands
http://www.visittunbridgewells.com
And Rye and environs
http://www.visit1066country.com/expl...e-camber-sands
Dec 6th, 2013, 05:54 AM
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Bath is a favourite with visitors, for good reason (and, as a result, pricey hotels.) Portsmouth is a rich experience for British Navy buffs. Bath's royal pavilion and old-fashioned English seaside atmosphere are amusing.
Really, the south of England is brimming with destinations for day trips and over-nighters, accompanied by plenty of on-line information. Lots of train and bus possibilities; look 'em up. Train service has improved in the last two decades and can be quicker than highways; tall inter-city buses offer better views of the countryside. A car is vital, however, for small-town countryside rambles in the Cotswolds.
Really, the south of England is brimming with destinations for day trips and over-nighters, accompanied by plenty of on-line information. Lots of train and bus possibilities; look 'em up. Train service has improved in the last two decades and can be quicker than highways; tall inter-city buses offer better views of the countryside. A car is vital, however, for small-town countryside rambles in the Cotswolds.
Dec 6th, 2013, 06:33 AM
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You really need to be clear what your parents are interested in before asking "where could they go"
In the area more or less abutting the A2/A20, for example:
Hastings is a dump. Battle Abbey, on the outskirts, has an interesting centre telling you the received wisdom among historians the day it was built about the battle generally held to have taken place there - though there's now an argument it's wrong. But, like almost all battlefields, the site itself (even if it's the right site) is just a set of boring fields: slightly prettier than the town, but still just fields.
A substantial proportion of Britons your parents' age, OTOH, find our 120,000 miles of right of way across these fields among the greatest things of all about the country. I wouldn't dream of revisiting Battle Abbey itself - but I'd happily spend a summer afternoon tramping 10-15 miles around the area (a lot of this can be done between railway stations), calling in at a country pub to start and a village tearoom halfway through.
Others might be less than whelmed at Tunbridge Wells, which is modestly pretty, but is otherwise a pointless suburban town stuffed with tastefully designed megacorps' back offices and a few seriously tedious shops. They might be more interested by Rye, which has truly distinctive and glorious buildings. Or by cathedral towns like Rochester or Chichester. Or a truly historical pilgrimage centre like Canterbury.
They might prefer places with some kind of military history - from Richborough (Roman) through Portchester (Roman through Tudor) to Dover Castle (Roman to Cold War). They might want towns with interesting stately homes (like Knole at Sevenoaks).
Or gardens, or decent museums, or places with good concerts and plays in the evening, or...
You've got to tell us, I'm afraid. Non-London Southern England (ROSEland, for "Rest of the South East" in planners' jargon) holds nigh on ten million people, and more cultural artefacts than 90% of UN member states. It's also, by American standards, fiendishly densely populated - and though our planning laws do a terrific job of stopping its countryside getting destroyed, much of it is pretty drecky if you don't organise yourself well
Incidentally, Leeds Castle isn't easy to get to by public transport: there are very infrequent buses, and taxis only with difficulty, from a station 7 miles away. The sensible answer is probably for you to collect them from somewhere, assuming you've got a car.
The good news, though, as glance at the regional railway map (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...South_East.pdf ) will show, is that Ashford acts as a kind of railway hub for trains around Kent. This is unusual in Britain, where most journeys require connections in London: the part of Kent near Leeds Castle has something close to a rural (well, let's be honest: countrified suburban) metro
In the area more or less abutting the A2/A20, for example:
Hastings is a dump. Battle Abbey, on the outskirts, has an interesting centre telling you the received wisdom among historians the day it was built about the battle generally held to have taken place there - though there's now an argument it's wrong. But, like almost all battlefields, the site itself (even if it's the right site) is just a set of boring fields: slightly prettier than the town, but still just fields.
A substantial proportion of Britons your parents' age, OTOH, find our 120,000 miles of right of way across these fields among the greatest things of all about the country. I wouldn't dream of revisiting Battle Abbey itself - but I'd happily spend a summer afternoon tramping 10-15 miles around the area (a lot of this can be done between railway stations), calling in at a country pub to start and a village tearoom halfway through.
Others might be less than whelmed at Tunbridge Wells, which is modestly pretty, but is otherwise a pointless suburban town stuffed with tastefully designed megacorps' back offices and a few seriously tedious shops. They might be more interested by Rye, which has truly distinctive and glorious buildings. Or by cathedral towns like Rochester or Chichester. Or a truly historical pilgrimage centre like Canterbury.
They might prefer places with some kind of military history - from Richborough (Roman) through Portchester (Roman through Tudor) to Dover Castle (Roman to Cold War). They might want towns with interesting stately homes (like Knole at Sevenoaks).
Or gardens, or decent museums, or places with good concerts and plays in the evening, or...
You've got to tell us, I'm afraid. Non-London Southern England (ROSEland, for "Rest of the South East" in planners' jargon) holds nigh on ten million people, and more cultural artefacts than 90% of UN member states. It's also, by American standards, fiendishly densely populated - and though our planning laws do a terrific job of stopping its countryside getting destroyed, much of it is pretty drecky if you don't organise yourself well
Incidentally, Leeds Castle isn't easy to get to by public transport: there are very infrequent buses, and taxis only with difficulty, from a station 7 miles away. The sensible answer is probably for you to collect them from somewhere, assuming you've got a car.
The good news, though, as glance at the regional railway map (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...South_East.pdf ) will show, is that Ashford acts as a kind of railway hub for trains around Kent. This is unusual in Britain, where most journeys require connections in London: the part of Kent near Leeds Castle has something close to a rural (well, let's be honest: countrified suburban) metro
Dec 6th, 2013, 07:24 AM
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I have a basic problem with you asking this question at all.
Your parents are avid travellers with more experience than yourself presumably. That being the case, I find it difficult to believe that they need you to plan anything for them. Have they asked you to do this?
I can't imagine one of my sons trying to suggest to me where my wife and I would want to go if we were travelling together as you describe.
"I’d like to plan this out for them so that they don’t go through too much trouble with this leg of the trip."
What does that mean? Why would it be any trouble for them to plan for themselves? I'm sure they've done so many times before. I'm sure they are perfectly capable of doing so again.
Whenever someone posts about parents and includes their age in the post, I get the impression that the person posting thinks their age is relevant. If someone has some actual physical problems, that would be relevant, age is never relevant. But it may be in YOUR mind. Are you suggesting they are both going senile and aren't capable of deciding where to go for themselves?
If your parents have ASKED you to do this then fine but otherwise, your 'too much trouble' for them comment is insulting. I suggest you ask them for help with YOUR plans.
Your parents are avid travellers with more experience than yourself presumably. That being the case, I find it difficult to believe that they need you to plan anything for them. Have they asked you to do this?
I can't imagine one of my sons trying to suggest to me where my wife and I would want to go if we were travelling together as you describe.
"I’d like to plan this out for them so that they don’t go through too much trouble with this leg of the trip."
What does that mean? Why would it be any trouble for them to plan for themselves? I'm sure they've done so many times before. I'm sure they are perfectly capable of doing so again.
Whenever someone posts about parents and includes their age in the post, I get the impression that the person posting thinks their age is relevant. If someone has some actual physical problems, that would be relevant, age is never relevant. But it may be in YOUR mind. Are you suggesting they are both going senile and aren't capable of deciding where to go for themselves?
If your parents have ASKED you to do this then fine but otherwise, your 'too much trouble' for them comment is insulting. I suggest you ask them for help with YOUR plans.
Dec 6th, 2013, 08:09 AM
#12
Ignore dulciusex. He carps at everyone. Lots of good info/advice from the others.
You aren't taking a train to Leeds Castle. You <I>might</I> be taking a train somewhere like Maidstone and the castle is collecting you from there.
What sorts of thing interest them? There is enough in Kent/East Sussex to fill four weeks let alone four days. So you (and they) need to narrow things down a bit. If they are into gardens and castles they will be in absolute heaven - but they'd want a car to see much very easily.
You aren't taking a train to Leeds Castle. You <I>might</I> be taking a train somewhere like Maidstone and the castle is collecting you from there.
What sorts of thing interest them? There is enough in Kent/East Sussex to fill four weeks let alone four days. So you (and they) need to narrow things down a bit. If they are into gardens and castles they will be in absolute heaven - but they'd want a car to see much very easily.
Dec 6th, 2013, 09:39 AM
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Thank you for all of the information that has been provided. And you are all right...I should have indicated things my parents like to do (oversight on my part - sorry). They enjoy historical sites, ruins, castles, churches, chapels & monasteries, seaside towns & medieval cities. They are not as interested in visiting universities, gardens, or museums or attending concerts or plays.
Just to be clear, my mother and father have asked me to plan our entire trip. I don't see it as insulting that I have added their ages & neither do they. My mother read my post before I posted it. Maybe those who see it as insulting are voicing their own insecurities regarding aging. Regardless, the same way that I am free to post their age, anyone is free to comment on how much it bothers them.
I will share with them the wonderful suggestions. Thank you very much to all of those who took time to share their thoughts.
Jamikins - those links are invaluable -- thank you!
Mjdh1957 - Cantebury is a nice option - thanks!
Southam & Havana128 - thanks for the info on Bath/Brighton
Flanneruk - thank you for painting such a lovely picture for me. The cathedral towns and Canterbury seem right up their alley.
Janisj - yes, you are right about Leeds not being easily accessible. We are taking the train into Bearsted & then a taxi to the castle (this is what was recommended to us when we booked our stay).
Just to be clear, my mother and father have asked me to plan our entire trip. I don't see it as insulting that I have added their ages & neither do they. My mother read my post before I posted it. Maybe those who see it as insulting are voicing their own insecurities regarding aging. Regardless, the same way that I am free to post their age, anyone is free to comment on how much it bothers them.
I will share with them the wonderful suggestions. Thank you very much to all of those who took time to share their thoughts.
Jamikins - those links are invaluable -- thank you!
Mjdh1957 - Cantebury is a nice option - thanks!
Southam & Havana128 - thanks for the info on Bath/Brighton
Flanneruk - thank you for painting such a lovely picture for me. The cathedral towns and Canterbury seem right up their alley.
Janisj - yes, you are right about Leeds not being easily accessible. We are taking the train into Bearsted & then a taxi to the castle (this is what was recommended to us when we booked our stay).
Dec 6th, 2013, 11:44 AM
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If you hire a car, then the area within a 10 mile radius of Tonbridge has a greater density of National Trust properties, historic houses and gardens than pretty much anywhere else in the country, all of which are more interesting than Leeds Castle. Few of them, though, are easy to get to by public transport.
Dec 6th, 2013, 11:28 PM
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But it may be a good idea to keep away from Bath on the next 3 Saturdays.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25257988
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-25257988
Dec 7th, 2013, 12:03 AM
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Janisj has been here for a long time and gives very good advice. I would pay attention to her advice if I was travelling to the UK.
Dulcius, the OP didn't ask us to pass judgment on her family situation, she just asked for advice for this trip. Perhaps you could stick to that, because you probably have some good contributions to make.
Dulcius, the OP didn't ask us to pass judgment on her family situation, she just asked for advice for this trip. Perhaps you could stick to that, because you probably have some good contributions to make.
Dec 7th, 2013, 12:58 AM
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I would definitely recommend Rye.
If they decide to go there, buy them one of the Mapp and Lucia novels by E.L Benson
Rye stars as Tilling. The last time I visited, the information office had a booklet showing places in Rye with their names in Tilling. Nothing seems to have changed. The novels are very funny
If they decide to go there, buy them one of the Mapp and Lucia novels by E.L Benson
Rye stars as Tilling. The last time I visited, the information office had a booklet showing places in Rye with their names in Tilling. Nothing seems to have changed. The novels are very funny
